The composition of Belgium’s generation facilities

The composition of the country’s generation facilities is strongly influenced by both national and European energy policy decisions.

In a bid to meet Europe’s climate-related ambitions, more and more electricity is being generated using renewable energy. Installed capacity is increasing year by year, but currently there is not enough to fully cover the demand for electricity. In addition, renewable energy sources are weather-dependent. Since their output varies, it is quite a challenge for system operators to keep supply and demand balanced at all times.

To guarantee security of supply, controllable generation facilities are also needed to ensure a constant supply of electricity. Such generation facilities are powered by nuclear energy, gas or biomass.

Elia also trades large volumes of electricity with Belgium’s neighbours. We also export power, but mainly import it. Electricity is purchased abroad when the prices are favourable or the output of Belgium’s generation facilities is insufficient to meet demand. Belgium has electricity interconnectors with the Netherlands and France. And soon we will also be connected to Great Britain (2019) and Germany (2020 ).